Mumbai: As the world celebrates yoga on the occasion of International Yoga Day, Bollywood celebrities including Anupam Kher, Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu among others took to social media to post pictures of themselves practising yoga to inspire fans to engage in the practice.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher put out a post on Twitter, wherein he shared his picture performing yoga in his home. Along with the post he shared picture of a yogi meditating.
He captioned the post " If you can't go outside. Go inside!! #InternationalYogaDay2020." Chanting a Sanskrit shloka 'Asto Ma Sadgamaya,' Shilpa Shetty shared a video post on Instagram where she is seen performing yoga. In the video, the actor wished all Happy International Yoga, and to practise yoga. Along with the video, she shared the shloka and its meaning, "Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya |Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya |Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya |Om Shanti Shanti Shanti hi || Meaning:* Keep me not in the Phenomenal World of Unreality, but make me go towards the Reality of Eternal Self,* Keep me not in the Ignorant State of Darkness, but make me go towards the Light of Spiritual Knowledge,* Keep me not in the World of Mortality, but make me go towards the World of Immortality of Self-Realization,* Om, Peace, Peace, Peace." The 'Life In a Metro' star added, "Wishing you all a very Happy International Yoga Day. Today I've shared a personal ritual with you all. I've been chanting the Shanti Mantra after every yoga session, because it helps me tell the Universe, our guiding force in nature... that I surrender to the will of nature. I accept that I don't know it all and I want to be drawn towards a better existence. I understand how limited my knowledge is of my own being and ask to be connected to all elements of nature in the way that humans were meant to be. Today, I pledge to work on bettering myself every day, so I can be of service to all in this lifetime, how I was intended to be. When this acceptance comes from within, you start realizing the deeper meaning of life. Shared the mantra here along with its meaning. Hoping we can all adopt and follow it as a way of life.With Gratitude.Shilpa Shetty Kundra ."
Malaika Arora shared a video on Instagram, featuring her speaking about yoga and confessed that for her it is a way of life and she loves doing it. Along with the video, she wrote, "People who know me, they know that everyday is International Yoga Day for me. Not a lot of you know this but yoga helped me through some of the toughest moments of my life - Both personally and professionally. And I'm not talking about just yoga asanas, I'm taking about leading my life in a way that I focus on the positives, be grateful for the life I have, the people I have in my life and work every single day to get better at it. Yoga has taught me all this." Urging people to practise yoga, Malaika said, "This International Yoga Day, you should not just take up yoga as a workout form but as a lifestyle. As long as you have yourself, your loved ones, you have the power to overcome any obstacle. Today being Sunday, give yourself a little love. Practice yoga, cook for your family, spend the evening in conversations and just dwell in all the positivity. I wish everybody a happy international yoga day!Love, light and happiness,Malaika Arora."
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar too dedicated an Instagram post on yoga wherein he is seen practising it under the open sky. The filmmaker wrote alongside the post, "Yoga is light, which once lit will never dim.The better your practice, the brighter your flame. #HappyInternationalYogaDay #YogaForAll." The International Yoga Day was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, 2014.It is observed on June 21 every year to spread awareness about the importance and effects of yoga on the health of the people. The word 'yoga' is derived from Sanskrit which means to join or to unite.
